Black Lace Read Free

to it. You have to call them later this afternoon and let them know which body shop to take it to.” He sounded and looked genuinely contrite.
    Lacy nodded. “Thanks.”
    Drake told the guard in the front seat, “You should probably drive.”
    Burton puffed up. “I’m the driver here.”
    Drake shook his head. “Move over.”
    Lacy could see that Burton wasn’t pleased, but he slid down the long seat to the passenger side. The other man, a dark-skinned giant who’d introduced himself as William “Billy” Cruise, got in behind the wheel and eased the big car out into the slow-moving traffic.
    Drake said to him, “Let’s run by Henry Ford Hospital so Ms. Green can get herself checked out. Is there someone I can call for you. Husband, family?”
    “No, but I should call my job.”
    She opened the tote that doubled as her purse and fished for her phone. Her neck didn’t like the movement but she ignored it as best she could.
    Drake asked, “Where do you work?”
    “A few floors below you. Environmental Enforcement.”
    He couldn’t hide his surprise. “Are you a secretary?”
    “No. Assistant director.”
    Drake paused. He’d never met her before. “How long have you been in the office?”
    “About six months.”
    Lacy turned her attention to her phone call. There was no answer at her office. She assumed the badweather had impacted everybody’s arrival. She decided to try later.
    When she put the phone back into her tote, Drake said, “Sorry we had to meet this way.”
    “So is my car.”
    Drake turned his attention to the snow scene out his window and smiled.
    On the slow drive into the city, Drake kept taking peeks at her. Her skin was black as a summer night and looked just as soft. He’d always had a thing for dark-skinned women, probably because of his dark-skinned mother, but whatever the reason, Drake liked his berries black. Lacy Green’s hair was done in those tiny twists black women had taken to wearing in recent years. He’d never liked the style. In his opinion, most of the women sporting the ’do resembled mops, or contestants in the Westminster dog show, but on Lacy the style flattered the lines of her dark face and added a certain jazz to the onyx eyes and the sensual curves of her lips and mouth. To quote the vernacular, the sister was hot. He also noted that she had no ring on the third finger of her left hand. Granted, that didn’t mean she didn’t have a man, but Drake had an often uncanny sense about that sort of thing, and to him it said Lacy Green was unattached. Unfortunately, for Drake, Burton had driven her off the road, totaling her car, and as a result, he knew that trying to talk to her was going to be harder than finishing med school.
     
    When the mayor’s big Lincoln pulled up in front of the large brick building that bore Henry Ford’s name,Lacy looked out of the window at the imposing structure. This would be her first visit to the world famous medical facility known for its cutting-edge techniques.
    The mayor opened the door and said to the men, “Keep the car warm.” Then to Lacy, “Be right back.”
    He returned with a wheelchair. She sat in it and he pushed her toward the door.
    Inside the hospital, the mayor’s presence sent the staff and the citizens into a frenzy. Folks gawked with surprise. Others ran up wanting autographs. Some simply wanted to shake his hand. Drake Randolph was one of the most popular mayors in the city’s history. In spite of his battles with the City Council over implementation of some of his more controversial programs, the residents loved him.
    After leaving Admitting, he pushed her onto the elevator, and Lacy could see the two nurses already in the car studying her speculatively. The mayor’s reputation with the ladies was well known, and Lacy was certain the women were wondering how she and His Fineness were connected. Neither was rude enough to ask, which suited her just fine, because she planned on dumping him and his